SAIL launches awareness drive to boost rural steel consumption

7-Aug-2017

With an aim to boost domestic steel consumption, state-run Sail has decided to hold a series of workshops in rural areas to create awareness among various stakeholders about use of quality steel products in construction activities, according to the company.

At the first of the 100 proposed workshops held last week in Haryana’s Rewari, Sail officials urged masons and steel dealers to do quality check to avoid use of low-grade steel in building houses.

The country’s largest steel maker Steel Authority of India (Sail) also encouraged elected representatives of villages such as gram pradhans and members of panchayats to raise awareness among villagers about the benefits of using steel in construction of homes.

“This effort is in line with the government’s push for increasing per capita steel consumption in the country and the role of rural India will play a vital role in increasing the domestic consumption of steel,” Rakesh Kumar Singhal, executive director (corporate affairs) Sail, told PTI.

“We have decided to hold 100 workshops in our four regions. After Rewari, the second conference of the northern region will be held in Badlapur, near Jaunpur, in Uttar Pradesh today. Two workshops will be held every month in all of the four regions,” he said.

The rural awareness workshop like this will help in increasing production and consumption of steel in the country and also pave the way for rapid growth and modernisation, the company said.

India, the world’s third largest steel producer, produced 100 million tons (MT) of crude steel in 2016 and is looking to overtake Japan to claim the second spot.

In this regard, the government is taking lots of measures to treble the steel output to 300 million tons (MT) and also increase finished steel per capita consumption of 158 kg by 2030-31, as against the current 61 kg.

Source: Money control